Utility meters are commonly used to measure a quantity of electricity, water, or gas utilized by consumers. These measured and calculated quantities generated by the meter are collected by a utility company and used for billing purposes, system analysis, troubleshooting and, in some cases, are provided to the customer for internal management and optimization of processes.
If the meters are located in hard-to-reach areas, restricted areas, or if the need for more frequent access to data exists, then it is preferable for the meters to be monitored remotely, and for data generated from a meter reading to be electronically acquired and transmitted to where it is needed. Such acquisition and transmissions may be effectuated via a wireline transmission, if a wireline is available, or may be set up for such transmission.
If a wireline transmission is not available or it is not feasible to set one up, then it is desirable to be able to transmit meter reading data via a wireless link. However, many conventional meters are not capable of wireless communication.
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus and method for facilitating wireless communication and acquisition of meter reading data from conventional electric meters.